It’s no coincidence that 54 days out from Election Day, vulnerable Rep. Rod Blum is doing damage control to hide his unpopular record of voting to gut protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions and raise healthcare costs on Iowa families.
This week, Blum tried to take credit for supporting a non-binding “resolution” with a litany of vulnerable House Republicans to call for protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions, nearly a year and half after he voted to do the opposite.
“After his Party’s ongoing attacks on individuals with pre-existing conditions, Rep. Blum’s empty gesture is a gut punch to those living with asthma, cancer, diabetes and other pre-existing conditions. The number of Iowans protected under this resolution is zero. The number of Blum’s constituents that he voted to gut protections for is 318,300. Blum’s last-ditch effort to save his dimming re-election prospects is shameful and one more reason to vote him out this November.” –DCCC spokesperson Rachel Irwin
In a tweet, Blum falsely stated: “As we work toward a solution to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for Americans, I am committed to protecting those with pre-existing conditions.”
Here are the facts: Rod Blum has taken more than a hundred thousand dollars from insurance companies and repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would’ve eliminated protections for those with pre-existing conditions. In 2017, he voted for the AHCA, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Politifact confirmed would weaken protections for those with pre-existing conditions, including making health insurance unaffordable for older Americans and jack up healthcare costs.